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Create ResumeThe average salary in Australia is around $106,657 per year for full-time adults, based on the latest ABS average weekly ordinary time earnings of $2,051.10 per week. But that number needs context, because it does not represent what most Australians actually earn. The median employee earns closer to $74,100 per year, which is often a more realistic figure for everyday salary comparison.
This is where many salary articles become quietly useless. They give you one big number, make it sound neat, and leave you wondering why your own pay feels lower. In recruitment, I see this confusion constantly. Candidates compare themselves to an average that is pulled upwards by senior executives, mining roles, medical specialists, technology salaries, overtime-heavy sectors, and high-income states. The better question is not just “What is the average salary in Australia?” It is “What salary is normal for my role, industry, location, seniority, and bargaining position?”
The average full-time salary in Australia is approximately $106,657 per year before tax, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics figure of $2,051.10 per week for full-time adult ordinary time earnings.
That figure is useful, but only if you understand what it measures.
It refers to:
Full-time adult workers
Ordinary time earnings
Before-tax income
Average weekly earnings
A broad national figure across industries, occupations, states, and sectors
It does not tell you what a typical worker earns. It does not include every casual, part-time, underemployed, junior, or award-reliant worker in the way many readers assume. It also does not mean that a $106,000 salary is “normal” for every Australian worker.
This is the first salary reality I would tell any candidate: average salary data is not wrong, but it is often misunderstood.
An average is pulled up by high earners. If a few people in a room earn very high salaries, the average rises even if most people in that room earn much less. That is exactly why salary conversations can feel so distorted in Australia. Someone sees the national average and thinks, “Am I underpaid?” Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Sometimes they are comparing their salary to the wrong benchmark entirely.
The average salary and median salary are not the same thing, and this distinction matters more than most people realise.
The average salary adds all earnings together and divides them by the number of workers. This number is affected heavily by high-income earners.
The median salary is the middle point. Half of workers earn more, and half earn less. This is usually a better guide to what a typical worker earns.
Based on ABS employee earnings data, median weekly earnings in a main job were around $1,425 per week, which equals approximately $74,100 per year before tax. Another ABS measure, median weekly earnings for all employees, was $1,436 per week, or about $74,672 per year.
That is a very different picture from the full-time average salary of about $106,657.
This is why I do not like vague salary comparisons. A candidate earning $78,000 may feel behind when they see the national average, but they may actually be sitting close to the median depending on their role, industry, and location. Another candidate earning $105,000 may think they are doing well nationally, but could be underpaid if they are a senior cyber security specialist in Sydney or a project manager in infrastructure.
Salary data without context is like a job ad that says “competitive salary”. It sounds useful until you need it to mean something.
The average salary in Australia often feels higher than what many workers see in real life because the labour market is uneven.
Several things push the average upwards:
High-income industries such as mining, finance, technology, engineering, construction, energy, and medical services
Senior leadership roles with large salary packages
Public sector and enterprise agreement roles with structured increases
Full-time adult earnings being different from all-worker earnings
Overtime, allowances, bonuses, and loadings in some sectors
Higher-paying locations such as Western Australia, the ACT, New South Wales, and parts of Queensland
Specialist skills shortages that lift salaries in selected professions
This is why the average salary can look generous while many workers still feel financial pressure. Both things can be true. Australia can have a high national average salary and still have plenty of workers earning much less than that.
From a hiring perspective, employers also know this. When a company says, “We benchmark salaries against the market,” the follow-up question should always be: which market?
Are they benchmarking against:
National salary data
Their direct competitors
Their internal salary bands
Award or enterprise agreement rates
Last year’s budget
What they think they can get away with paying
Those are not the same thing. And yes, some employers use “market rate” very creatively. Sometimes it means market rate. Sometimes it means “the lowest figure we think a decent candidate might accept without walking away”.
A good salary in Australia depends on location, lifestyle, dependants, housing costs, industry, and career stage. But as a practical guide, many full-time workers would consider:
$60,000 to $75,000 a common early-career or lower-to-mid salary range
$75,000 to $95,000 a solid mid-level salary in many office, trade, public sector, and professional roles
$95,000 to $120,000 a strong salary for experienced professionals in many sectors
$120,000 to $160,000 a senior, specialist, technical, or management-level salary in many markets
$160,000+ a high salary, usually tied to senior leadership, scarce technical skills, high-risk work, revenue responsibility, remote work, or demanding sectors
But I would be careful with the phrase “good salary”. It can become emotionally loaded very quickly.
A $90,000 salary may feel comfortable for someone living regionally with low housing costs. It may feel tight for a single-income household renting in Sydney with children. A $130,000 salary may sound impressive, but if the role requires constant unpaid overtime, heavy travel, stress, and no real progression, the salary may not be as good as it looks on paper.
Recruiters and hiring managers do not assess salary only as a number. They consider whether your salary expectation matches:
Your current capability
Your level of responsibility
The scarcity of your skill set
The commercial value of your role
The employer’s budget
The market demand for your background
The risk of hiring you compared with other candidates
That last point matters. Salary is not just about fairness. It is also about perceived hiring risk. A candidate asking for $130,000 needs to make the employer feel confident they can solve $130,000-level problems.
Here is the simplest way to understand current Australian salary data.
The full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings figure is $2,051.10 per week, which works out to about $106,657 per year.
The median weekly earnings figure for employees is around $1,425 per week, or about $74,100 per year.
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 will be $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a full-time 38-hour week. Until then, the current minimum wage remains $24.95 per hour, or $948 per week.
These figures are not interchangeable.
Average full-time earnings tell you where full-time adult earnings sit across the country. Median employee earnings tell you more about the middle of the workforce. Minimum wage tells you the legal floor for workers not covered by an award or enterprise agreement.
This matters because many people compare themselves to the wrong figure. A part-time retail worker should not compare their income to full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings. A senior software engineer should not use the national median as their only benchmark. A nurse, teacher, electrician, accountant, aged care worker, construction supervisor, office administrator, or marketing manager all need different salary context.
Salary comparison only becomes useful when it is specific.
Australian salary data still shows a clear difference between male and female earnings.
According to ABS employee earnings data, median weekly earnings for full-time men were around $1,841 per week, or about $95,732 per year. For full-time women, median weekly earnings were around $1,631 per week, or about $84,812 per year.
There are many reasons behind this, and anyone who reduces it to one explanation is probably oversimplifying it.
The gap is influenced by:
Occupational segregation
Industry concentration
Career interruptions
Part-time work patterns
Seniority differences
Unpaid caring responsibilities
Negotiation dynamics
Bias in hiring, promotion, and pay decisions
Different access to high-paying technical, leadership, and commercial roles
In recruitment, I see another layer that is less often discussed: women are often judged more harshly for being “expensive” when asking for higher pay, while men are more readily framed as “commercial” or “ambitious”. Not always. But often enough that pretending it does not happen would be silly.
I also see women understate salary expectations because they do not want to price themselves out. The problem is that some employers interpret a lower expectation as a lower market value, not as modesty. That is unfair, but hiring is not always a clean moral exercise. It is a decision process shaped by budgets, perception, confidence, bias, urgency, and negotiation.
If you are preparing for a salary conversation, do not rely only on what you earned before. Employers often anchor you to your previous salary if you let them. Your better anchor is the market value of the role you are applying for.
Industry matters enormously in Australia.
Two people can have the same work ethic, education level, and years of experience but earn very different salaries because they work in different sectors. This is one of the hardest career realities for candidates to accept because it feels personal. Often, it is structural.
A strong administrator in a small community organisation may earn far less than an administrator in mining, infrastructure, finance, or government. A project coordinator in construction may out-earn a project coordinator in a not-for-profit. A sales professional in enterprise software may earn far more than a sales professional in retail products. Same broad skill family. Different commercial environment. Different salary ceiling.
Higher-paying Australian industries commonly include:
Mining
Energy and utilities
Finance and insurance
Information technology
Engineering
Construction and infrastructure
Professional services
Medical and specialist health services
Government and public administration in some classifications
Lower or more varied-paying sectors often include:
Retail
Hospitality
Arts and recreation
Community services
Early childhood education
Personal services
Some administration and customer service roles
Small business environments with limited salary structures
This does not mean one industry has more valuable people than another. It means some industries have more money, stronger margins, higher risk, stronger unions, tighter skills shortages, or more commercially measurable outputs.
That is the unromantic truth. Salary is not always a reward for social value. If it were, many care workers, teachers, nurses, disability support workers, and early childhood educators would be paid very differently.
Location also changes salary expectations. A salary that is strong in one area may be ordinary in another.
In general, salaries tend to be higher in places where there is a concentration of high-paying industries, government roles, mining activity, corporate headquarters, infrastructure projects, or specialist labour shortages.
Common salary differences appear across:
Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Perth
Canberra
Adelaide
Hobart
Darwin
Regional and remote areas
Sydney and Melbourne often have more corporate roles, but also higher competition and housing costs. Perth salaries can be strong in mining, engineering, energy, and construction-related roles. Canberra can be strong for government, policy, consulting, cyber security, and professional roles connected to the public sector. Regional and remote salaries can be higher in some industries because employers need to attract workers into harder-to-fill locations.
But higher pay does not always mean better financial comfort. A $100,000 salary in Sydney may not stretch the same way as $90,000 in a lower-cost regional area. And a remote role offering a high salary may come with lifestyle trade-offs, travel demands, isolation, shift work, or family pressure.
When candidates ask me whether a salary is good, I always want to know where the job is, what the role expects, whether overtime is paid, how much flexibility exists, and what the progression path looks like. A salary number without work conditions is only half the story.
Recruiters do not look at salary in isolation. We look at the full match between the role, the candidate, the budget, the hiring manager’s expectations, and the available market.
When salary comes up, I am usually thinking about:
Is this candidate’s expectation realistic for the role level?
Has the employer set a budget that matches the market?
Is there flexibility for a stronger candidate?
Is the candidate currently underpaid and trying to correct that?
Is the candidate overpricing themselves compared with their evidence?
Will the hiring manager see the salary expectation as sensible or risky?
Are there other candidates with similar experience asking for less?
Is the role hard enough to fill that the employer may need to move?
This is where candidates often misunderstand the recruiter’s role. A recruiter is not simply asking your salary expectation to be nosy. We are trying to work out whether the process is commercially viable.
If your expectation is too low, I may worry the role is too senior or demanding for you. If it is too high, I need to know whether the employer can stretch or whether we are wasting everyone’s time. If the employer is underpaying, I may need to push back on the client. If the market is flooded with candidates, your negotiation position may be weaker. If your skill set is rare, your position may be stronger.
Salary conversations are not just about what you want. They are about leverage.
Many Australian job ads still do not show salary, and candidates are understandably tired of it.
Employers often hide salary because:
They do not want existing employees comparing pay
The budget is lower than the market expects
They want to see who applies before committing to a range
They have flexibility but do not want to advertise the top end
Internal approval is unclear
They fear competitors seeing their salary bands
They want negotiation control
Sometimes there is a harmless reason. Often, there is not.
When a job ad says “salary dependent on experience”, it can mean the employer genuinely has a flexible range. It can also mean they have a preferred number but would like you to reveal yours first. This is why candidates need to be careful with salary questions.
A practical response is:
Good Example: “Based on the responsibilities described and the current market for similar roles, I would expect this position to sit somewhere around $90,000 to $105,000 plus super. Is that aligned with the budget you have approved?”
This does three useful things. It shows you understand the market, gives a range, and asks them to confirm the actual budget. It also avoids sounding rigid before you understand the full package.
A weaker response is:
Weak Example: “I’m flexible.”
Flexible sounds easy-going, but it can also weaken your negotiating position. Employers may hear “we can probably get this person cheaper”. Not always, but enough that I would not lead with it.
You may be underpaid if your salary is consistently below the market range for your role, industry, location, and experience level.
Signs you may be underpaid include:
Similar job ads advertise noticeably higher salaries
Recruiters regularly approach you for roles paying more
New hires at your level are coming in above your salary
Your responsibilities have grown but your pay has not
You are performing senior work under a junior title
Your employer keeps using vague praise instead of pay progression
You are told there is “no budget”, but the company continues hiring externally
Your salary has not kept pace with market movement or inflation
That last one is very common. Many employees become underpaid slowly. They accept a role at a fair salary, stay loyal, take on more work, receive small increases, and then realise the external market has moved faster than their internal pay.
This is why loyalty can become expensive. Not always, but often enough.
Internal salary increases are usually constrained by budgets, bands, approval processes, and politics. External moves are more directly shaped by market competition. That is why changing jobs can sometimes produce a salary jump that staying put does not.
But do not assume you are underpaid just because one person on LinkedIn claims they doubled their salary after doing a course and manifesting confidence near a houseplant. Compare properly. Look at real job ads, recruiter conversations, industry salary guides, enterprise agreements, award rates, professional networks, and actual interview feedback.
To benchmark your salary properly, you need more than one source. Salary data is messy, and every source has limitations.
Use:
ABS salary data for national context
Job ads with salary ranges for current market demand
Recruiter conversations for live hiring conditions
Industry salary guides for professional benchmarks
Fair Work pay guides for award-covered roles
Enterprise agreements for structured workplaces
Professional associations for sector-specific context
Conversations with trusted peers where appropriate
But be careful with online salary websites. Some rely on self-reported data, old job postings, or broad averages that do not separate junior, mid-level, senior, contract, permanent, metro, regional, specialist, or generalist roles.
When benchmarking, compare against roles with similar:
Scope of responsibility
Required experience
Industry
Location
Team size
Revenue or budget ownership
Technical complexity
Risk level
Qualifications or licences
Employment type
This is where many candidates accidentally misread the market. They compare job titles instead of job scope.
A “manager” in one company may manage two people and a small workflow. A “manager” in another company may own a national function, a large budget, compliance risk, and a team of thirty. Same title. Very different salary logic.
Your salary expectation can help or hurt your application depending on how well it fits the role and how you explain it.
If your expectation is too high without evidence, the employer may see you as unrealistic. If it is too low, they may question your level or assume you do not understand the role. If it is aligned and well-explained, it can actually strengthen your positioning.
The best salary conversations are calm, specific, and commercially aware.
A strong salary positioning statement might sound like:
Good Example: “For roles with this level of responsibility, team contact, reporting, and stakeholder management, I am targeting the $95,000 to $105,000 range plus super. I am open to discussing the full package depending on flexibility, progression, and the final scope.”
That is much stronger than simply saying:
Weak Example: “I want at least $100,000.”
The issue is not the number. The issue is the lack of context. Employers are more comfortable with salary expectations when they can understand the reasoning behind them.
This is especially important if you are asking for a salary jump. You need to connect the increase to value, not just need. Cost of living is real, but employers rarely pay more because your rent increased. They pay more when they believe your skills, experience, scarcity, or impact justify it.
Blunt, but true.
In Australia, salary conversations often include base salary, superannuation, bonuses, commissions, allowances, loadings, overtime, and benefits. You need to know which number is being discussed.
A role advertised as $100,000 plus super is different from a role advertised as $100,000 package including super.
That distinction matters.
If super is included in the package, the take-home base salary is lower than many candidates expect. This is a common source of confusion, especially for candidates moving between employers, industries, or countries.
You should clarify:
Is the salary plus super or inclusive of super?
Is overtime paid or expected unpaid?
Are bonuses guaranteed or discretionary?
Is commission realistic or theoretical?
Are allowances included in the advertised figure?
Are penalty rates relevant?
Is salary sacrificing available?
Are there additional benefits such as car allowance, phone, laptop, health cover, or extra leave?
Commission roles need even more caution. “OTE” means on-target earnings, but not every target is realistic. Some employers advertise attractive OTE figures when only a small percentage of staff actually reach them. Ask what the average performer earns, not only what the top performer earns.
This is not being difficult. It is basic financial self-protection.
“Competitive salary” is one of those phrases that sounds professional and says almost nothing.
In hiring reality, it can mean:
The salary is genuinely aligned with the market
The employer has not finalised the budget
The salary is average but they want it to sound better
The employer wants candidates to reveal expectations first
The salary is competitive only compared with underpaying competitors
The role has other benefits that they think compensate for lower pay
When I see “competitive salary” in a job ad, I do not automatically assume the salary is bad. But I also do not assume it is good. I treat it as incomplete information.
Candidates should do the same.
A practical question to ask early is:
Good Example: “Before we go too far, can I check the approved salary range for the role? I want to make sure we are aligned before taking more of your time.”
That wording is polite, commercial, and sensible. It does not make you sound money-obsessed. It makes you sound like someone who understands that hiring processes should not waste time.
And frankly, if an employer becomes offended because you asked for the salary range, that tells you something useful.
Average salary data can support a pay rise conversation, but it should not be your whole argument.
Do not walk into a salary review and say, “The average salary in Australia is $106,657, so I should earn more.” That is too broad. Your manager can dismiss it immediately because national average earnings may have little to do with your role.
A better approach is to combine market evidence with performance evidence.
You want to show:
What similar roles are paying externally
How your responsibilities have increased
What measurable outcomes you have delivered
How your salary compares with current market expectations
What risk the business carries if they lose you
What salary adjustment you are requesting
Why that figure is reasonable
A stronger framing would be:
Good Example: “Over the past year, my role has expanded to include reporting, onboarding, stakeholder management, and ownership of the monthly compliance process. Similar roles I am seeing in the market are sitting around $90,000 to $100,000 plus super. I would like to discuss adjusting my salary to reflect the current scope of the role.”
That is much harder to dismiss because it links salary to scope and market movement.
Managers may still say no. A good argument does not magically create budget. But it does make the conversation more serious and harder to brush away with vague comments about “reviewing it later”.
The biggest mistake is comparing your salary to one national number and drawing a dramatic conclusion.
Other common mistakes include:
Comparing average salary with median salary
Ignoring superannuation
Comparing package salary with base salary
Comparing different industries
Comparing Sydney salaries with regional salaries
Treating job titles as equal when responsibilities differ
Believing every online salary report is accurate
Ignoring bonuses, overtime, penalties, and allowances
Comparing permanent salaries with contract rates
Forgetting that advertised salaries may be inflated or negotiable
Assuming your current salary equals your market value
That last mistake is important. Your current salary is not always your market value. It may reflect when you were hired, how well you negotiated, whether your employer had budget, whether you were promoted internally, whether your industry changed, or whether you accepted less to get an opportunity.
Employers sometimes ask, “What are you currently earning?” because it gives them an anchor. In some situations, you may choose to answer directly. In others, it is better to shift towards expectations.
For example:
Good Example: “My current salary is not the best benchmark because the role has expanded significantly. For this next move, I am targeting roles in the $100,000 to $110,000 range plus super based on the scope we have discussed.”
That is a much more strategic answer than letting your past salary limit your next one.
The average salary in Australia is useful as a national reference point, not as a personal verdict.
If you remember one thing, make it this: your salary should be compared to the right market, not the whole country.
The right market means your role, industry, location, seniority, employment type, skill scarcity, and level of responsibility. A national average can start the conversation, but it should not finish it.
From a recruiter’s perspective, salary is never just a number. It is a signal. It tells employers how you position yourself, what level you believe you operate at, and whether your expectations match the role. It also tells candidates something about the employer: how they value the role, how seriously they understand the market, and whether they are likely to retain good people.
The most useful salary question is not “Am I above or below the Australian average?”
The better question is:
“Am I being paid fairly for the work I actually do, in the market I actually compete in?”
That question will get you much closer to the truth.
Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.
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